


The Letter

by YallHearSumn



Series: RhodeyTony tingz [4]
Category: Iron Man (Comics), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Awesome James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Gen, Goodbyes, Idiots in Love, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, James "Rhodey" Rhodes Needs a Hug, Lazy Mornings, Lazy Sex, Love Confessions, M/M, Married Couple, Married Life, Mild Smut, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Old Married Couple, Omega Tony, Omega Tony Stark, Omega Verse, Please Don't Hate Me, Protective James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Same-Sex Marriage, Sappy, Tony Angst, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 23:40:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21261515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YallHearSumn/pseuds/YallHearSumn
Summary: Mid-September arrives, and so does a letter.Late 1988.





	1. More of a dinner thing

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this up and kind of forgot where exactly I went, btw, next instalment is crazy and ran away with me.
> 
> My muse has been kicking my mental doors down and been demanding to be heard, so enjoy :*

Mid-September arrives, and so does a letter. 

James takes one glance at the A4 envelope, plain white with the U.S. Air Force coat of arms standing proud and steady above the simple address 'Mr JR Rhodes', and spends the next ten minutes frozen in place in front of the mail box. 

They always knew this day was coming, hell, they had been prepared for him shipping out the moment they graduated, so why now did he dread reading it, like it'd be the end of the world if he opened it? 

James slides the envelope under his arm, and sifts through the rest of the mail with a pit in his stomach - _water bill, electric bill, Tony's new credit card, a postcard from South America from Banner, clothing catalogues, an invite to some society party, junk mail, junk mail, junk mai-_ Jesus, why _now?___

_ _ __ _ _

_ _ __ _ _

*** 

Rhodey has dinner prepared when Tony gets home, possibly the best curry Tony's ever had. He tells Rhodey as much repeatedly, eyes rolling in pleasure through mouthfuls of heavenly deliciousness. 

Maybe it's the fantastic food, or the long day he'd had, or maybe it was just that built-in stupid-o-meter he'd been born with, but Tony doesn't see the clouds forming above him. He doesn't even notice that Rhodey hardly touches his food that night, or how tight he holds onto Tony, or the apologies in his kisses, he doesn't notice anything's wrong until the rain had already started pouring, soaking him to the bone. 

"I ship out next week, Tony." 

Six little words with so much power. Tony's sure if this had been six or even three months ago, he wouldn't have been so affected by the news (_wouldn't have spent an hour sobbing in the bathroom at work either_). __

_ __ _

_ __ _

"Wow, that's... that's fast. Uh, did they say for how long? You'll still be on the west coast though, right?" Tony asks tentatively, eyeing Rhodey through the mirror. "I always thought bad news was more of a dinner thing," Tony jokes weakly. 

Stepping forward, James plants a gentle kiss on the side of Tony's neck, arms enveloping his shoulders. "Eight months and yeah, nothing's changed," James says thickly, swaying their bodies together and dabbing at a tear sliding down Tony's cheek. 

"We'll still save, I'll look around for a nice little place for us, maybe something with a basement so that you can be a true mad scientist," they both laugh weakly at that, "California's sunny year-round; we can go to the beach for Christmas and you can finally get that rich boy tan back and be a real kept man. Mama's going to be in tears though, she loves spending time with you." 

"I'm going to have her all to myself for eight months, we'll be alright. You'd like me all tanned and golden, wouldn't you?" Tony teases with a watery laugh. "Laying naked in the backyard and socialising with other omegas, maybe I'll even start an 'air force omegas' club." 

"Yeah? I won't lie, I can't imagine you sipping mimosas and brunching every day." 

"Platypus, I am an ex-rich boy, or did you forget? Brunching and mimosas were a staple - that and drinking wine at every meal. Can you imagine how tired I was?" 

"Seems like a real tough life, maybe you should start a book club instead," Rhodey jokes." But if you want, we can go down to the liquor store after work and buy some of that delicious sweet wine, maybe take out the fancy glasses we got as a wedding gift, cook us up some shrimp?" 

"Mm, sounds like a good time. You going to spoil me 'til you leave?" 

Nosing at Tony's scent glands, James makes comforting growls against his neck. "I was going to spoil you anyway, Ma wanted to kick my ass for not telling her about your promotion." 

"Speaking of, I forgot to mention - company dinner tomorrow night, you know it's year end for the company and all that, uh spouses invited too, you think you're up to it? Or are we spending your last week wrapped up in bed giving you something to think about when you're in the barracks?" Tony nibbles at Rhodey's jaw. "It's not really a big deal." 

Rhodey pinches Tony's chin between two fingers and tips his head up for a lingering kiss. "Nonsense, I'll shine my church shoes tonight, I'd finally get to put some faces to the names." 

"I know you're just happy we get free dinner." 

"Maybe I'm just trying to make sure I leave you in good hands..." 

"Mm hmm, sure, honey bear." 


	2. This Is It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of company dinners, lazy sex and shipping out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We get some more looks into their relationship, and Rhodey finally ships out :(

Tony's fixing his hair when Rhodey pads into the room, shirt unbuttoned and slacks hanging deliciously low on his hips. 

"So," Rhodey starts, "seeing as this is really formal and most of the higher ups are going to be there, how much do you want to bet the majority of them know we fucked on your lab table?" Rhodey asks teasingly, pinching Tony's ass as he goes by. 

"Hey!" Tony cries out, circling to slap Rhodey's ass in retaliation. "And by the way, everybody in the office knows. We were front page, remember?" 

Wincing slightly, James reaches for his deodorant on the vanity. "Damn, baby, I'm sorry." 

"Eh, it doesn't really matter. I totally forgot about it until it became water cooler conversation. I don't really care anyway, I ended up with exactly where I wanted to be," Tony purrs. 

"Ah, now I get it - you seduced me into fucking you in the lab because you were secretly in love with me the whole time," Rhodey jokes, earning an eye roll from Tony. 

"Yeah, that's exactly what happened," Tony replies amused, "I wanted to seal the deal with a baby, but my suppressants didn't want me to live my best life." 

Glancing down at Tony with a grin, Rhodey takes his head between both hands and runs soothing thumbs down the side of his face. "You'll get it right next time baby," he says, bending down to join their lips. 

*** 

They take a cab to the restaurant, strolling in hand-in-hand as the waiter leads them to a back room, some VIP section or the other. 

It's a nice place, definitely fancier than anything they've been to in the past few months. James's eyes dart around, taking in fancy booths and even fancier guests, and wraps a steady arm around Tony's waist, drawing him to his side. 

Tony catches sight of Sunset first and mentally rolls his eyes, letting out a little groan. 

"You okay?" Rhodey whispers into his ear. 

"Yeah, it's nothing, jus-" 

"Tony! I'm so happy you made it, I was just asking George if you were coming," Sunset all but shrieks once she spots them, "and you brought your boyfriend." 

"Hello, Ms Bain, I'm James, Tony's _husband._" Rhodey introduces himself cordially, sticking out a hand and ignoring the pinched expression on her face at his words, firmly gripping the hand she slides into his palm. __

_ __ _

_ __ _

"Rhodey, you remember, George and Jean, right?" Tony asks, gesturing to the table and introducing the rest of the staff and greeting their spouses, ignoring Sunset's dagger-eyes. 

Rhodey sits down and drags Tony with him, putting an arm around his shoulders comfortably. 

Dinner goes by smoothly and mostly without a hitch, Rhodey seems to be under the microscope for most of the night, being asked about his job, and their plans, the neighbourhood they're from. Tony definitely enjoys Rhodey destroying all his asshole colleagues, and maybe falls a little more in love every time he turns to him and smiles conspiratorially. 

Rhodey could smile with his eyes, could tell Tony a million stories with a quick glance. Never has Tony felt more safe than at this table with Rhodey's arm around him; he's surrounded by people he despise (except maybe Jean from R&D, she brings him her wife's amazing cobblers every Monday), and yet feels completely at ease. 

*** 

"Thank you for coming with me," Tony says. 

"Hey, not a problem. Need some help with the zip?" 

"Yeah, thanks, Platypus" Tony smiles at him warily. 

"Hey, what's going on in that pretty little he-?" Tony cuts him off by kissing him, hot and fast and desperate. 

Rhodey makes a surprised little moan, returning the kiss just as hard as soon as his brain catches up with what's going on. He walks backwards until the back of his knees bump against the bed, and falls back with Tony gathered close to his chest. 

"You know that I love you, right?" Tony asks, already feeling hot tears pricking at his eyes. 

"Of course, Tones, and I love you more than anything," Rhodey pecks his lips softly. 

Tony doesn't let him go for the rest of the night. 

*** 

The rest of the week seems to fly by, Tony takes Thursday and Friday off in the hopes that he could catch the minutes and slow them down. 

On Friday, Rhodey's family throws a goodbye party, and it seems like the whole block shows up. Tony gets more hugs that night than he's probably ever gotten in his life. Tony's among people who count him as family, who opened their arms to him faster than his _own_ flesh and blood ever has, but nothing seems to take his mind off the really real and really fast approaching fact that Rhodey's leaving. He may tear up half a million times, but seeing Rhodey beaming with happiness is better than anything in the world. __

_ __ _

_ __ _

Saturday morning, Tony wakes up with a ball of dread in his stomach. Rhodey's leaving tomorrow, and Tony will have to spend eight months without him, and that's at the least. 

He'd already slid letters into Rhodey's bags, some reminders, others _I love you_ notes, and Tony can hardly believe that he'd gotten so sappy. He doesn't know how he'd fallen so hard and so fast for Rhodey, but it had happened. He'd meant every word he'd said in Italy - Rhodey _was_ his future, and his heart had decided long before his mind could catch up with it. ____

_ _ __ _ _

_ _ _ _

_ _ __ _ _

Tony wakes up first, and turns in Rhodey's hold to stare up at him. He runs his a finger lightly over the slope of Rhodey's nose, memorising the lines and shapes that make his face. There's a faint scar on his top lip, he'd apparently fallen from his grandma's wire fence and cut himself when he was younger; a slit in his eyebrow because he'd forgotten he was shipping out soon and a pair of killer cheekbones that Tony had immediately salivated over the first time he'd seen him in their aeronautical engineering class. 

Tony sighs, trying to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach; if he didn't get himself together soon, he'd be smelling like distress and upsetting Rhodey before he left. While separation wouldn't kill him, Tony certainly isn't happy about having to be away from Rhodey for so long. He's not sure how he'll do it, just that he has to. 

Rhodey snuffles a little in his sleep, shifting closer to Tony until they're chest to chest, the friction hardening Tony's nipples in seconds. When he flutters his eyes open, they're soft and dopey, a teasing look overcoming his features before he dives below the sheets and blows raspberries into Tony's stomach. 

"Rhodey, stoooooop, I'm going to pee!" Tony shrieks, wiggling out of Rhodey's grasp and jumping out of bed, running to the bathroom when Rhodey gets up to follow him. 

*** 

When Tony finishes showering, there's a steaming mug of coffee waiting for him on the bedside table and clattering coming from the kitchen. And the TV's _in the bedroom._

_ __ _

_ __ _

Tony towels his hair dry, and slides Rhodey's robe over his shoulders, nuzzling at the collar. A moment later, Rhodey's coming through the door with a plate of pancakes drizzled in syrup. 

"Is this heaven?" Tony asks, plopping down on the bed. "Wait, we had syrup?" 

Rhodey grins and places the plate down on his nightstand before sitting on the edge of the bed and leaning in to press a kiss to Tony's mouth. "Yeah, I picked some up from the cornerstore last week. I thought we'd stay in, watch a little TV, maybe catch a movie if we're lucky," Rhodey says against Tony's mouth. 

"A movie sounds great, Platypus." 

*** 

They spend the day lounging around the apartment, taking turns fixing snacks, and lazily making love whenever they get in the mood - which turns out to be often; on their last round, Tony simply lays on his side and lifts his leg up and over Rhodey's hip, rocking back to meet his thrusts. 

They share a bath in their rarely-used tub and fuck against the bedroom door before tangling together in bed. Rhodey kisses him goodnight and tucks the blankets around his fucked out form; neither of them bring up his enlistment, but the melancholy settling over them speaks volumes. 

"You're so beautiful, Tones. I just want to memorise you like this, looking at me like that." 

Rhodey leans down into a slow, sweet kiss that makes Tony's toes curl. His tongue dips into Tony's mouth, wrapping around his, and Tony can't do anything to stop the tears. He runs callused hands over the expanse of Rhodey's broad chest, tracing muscles and joints and pebbles nipples, trying to commit Rhodey's warm skin to memory, to hold him so tight he soaks into his bones. 

When they break the kiss and his head clears a little, Rhodey's forehead is pressed into his temple, and a tremble is running through him, his whole body vibrating with it. Tony feels his tears mix in with his. 

*** 

James wakes up at 3am and eyes the uniform hanging in front of their cupboard. This was it, and while it may not be forever, it might as well have been. 

Tony looks at peace in his sleep, snoring lightly and stretched out languidely across the bed. 

Rhodey can't bring himself to wake him. 

He's dressed and left his bags by the door when he slides the note under Tony's pillow, swooping down to kiss him softly. Like this, they wouldn't have to have a long, drawn-out goodbye, he could save Tony some tears (_and maybe himself too_). __

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like? Please forgive me if you spot air force written as "airforce"

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys liked it <3


End file.
